Toy vehicle



Aug 3 1943 s. GODELL 2,326,027

TOY VEHICLE Filed May 17, 1945 'l OYS.

Jldlli'll HUUlIl Patented Aug. 3, 1943 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY VEHICLE Sidney Godell, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Arvey Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in toys, and particularly structural toys formed essentially of cardboard, paperboard and the like material.

More specifically my invention relates to novel toy vehicle wheel mounting means and particularly simulated railroad car trucks, whereby a plurality of pairs of wheels may be mounted in a unitary group in rm braced engagement against of strip I 4 may be provided with a second lateral extension and projecting tab. Extending from each of the opposed ends of the strip I4 and in balanced transverse relationship therewith are the axle supports I9-I9 separated from the strip I4 and adapted to be folded on the score lines 2li- 20, the fold lines 20-20 being perpendicular to the fold line I6. When constructed in the decorative contour illustrated the portions I9--I9 transverse or 1ongitudina1 displacement. 1c will be further separated from the Strip I4 by Other objects and advantages of my invention, being Clit Lit the portions 23 t0 permit folding including details of construction and arrangeon the lines as Will be understood.

ment of parts will be apparent from a considera- Plojooting from each of the portions I9 intion of the following specification and drawing, tel'mcdiotc its shoulder portions 2I2I which wherein: 15 are parallel to the score line 20, is a tab 22. The

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a toy railroad car illustrating my wheel trucks in position.

Fig. 2 is a blank development of my novel wheel truck.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a Wheel blank.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional elevation of a toy car embodying my invention taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional elevation of a toy car embodying my invention taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of my wheel truck in set up condition with wheels mounted thereon.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary bottom View of one end of a toy car provided with slots for engagement of the set up truck of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral I0 generally indicates a structural toy vehicle, suitably contoured and ornamented to simulate a railroad car, and composed of cardboard, paperboard and the like sheet material, the car being provided with a floor or bottom member II. The car bottom II is provided with one or more, and preferably at least two sets of slots, one set adjacent each end, as illustrated in Fig. 7 comprising a pair of spaced parallel longitudinally extending slots I2-I2 and at least one intermediate transversely extending slot I3.

The wheel truck blank illustrated in Fig. 2, which is formed 0f sheet material similar to the car body I0, may likewise be contoured and decorated to simulate wheel bearings, springs, etc., and comprises an intermediate strip portion I4, having a parallel lateral extension I5 separated therefrom and adapted to be folded on the score line I5.

Projecting laterally from the portion I5 and intermediate the length thereof leaving shoulder portion I'I-Il parallel to the score line I6, is a tab I8. Although not illustrated, the free side perpendicular distance from a score line 20 to the extended line of the shoulders 2| is equal to that between score line I6 and shoulders I'I of the portion I5.

In setting up the car truck the portion I5 is folded on the line I6 to extend upwardly at an angle to strip I4, and the portions I9--I9 are folded upwardly on their score lines 20-20 to extend at a right angle to strip I4, after which the tab i8 is inserted in the slot I3, and the tabs 22-22 inserted into the slots I2-l2 so that the strip I4 extends transversely of the car bottom and acts as a tie member for the portions lil-Ie' \.i;.i the portion l5 acting as a lateral stabilizer and to maintain the Wheel supports I9--I9 in parallel relationship and in vertical alignment.

Each of the tabs I8 and 22-22 are preferably, as illustrated, formed with enlarged intermediate side portions, the overall width of which is somewhat greater than the length of their respective slots I3, and I2-I2, although the width of the cuter ends of the tabs are less than the length of the slotsV and the inner ends substantially equal to the width of the slots. Thus to fully extend the tabs through their respective slots necessitates slight distortion of the tabs, or their edges and the edges of the slots when the tabs are urged through the slots which brings about a firm frictional engagement of enhanced locking or binding nature, and with the shoulders 2I-2I of the wheel supports I9-I9 and the shoulders I-Il of the cross piece I5 lying in firm abutment against the under face of the car bottom II.

Each of the portions I9-I9 are provided with a pair of spaced apertures 26 adjacent their end or simulated bearing box portions, through an opposed pair of which, an axle 25 extends and is freely journalled to permit rolling. The axle 25 may be in the form of a wood dowel pin, or may be of paperboard. Wheels 24 are provided with an aperture 21 of slightly smaller diameter than that of the axle so that the wheel of paperboard may be forced onto the axle and into frictional engagement. These wheels are preferably mounted as illustrated inwardly of the wheel mounts Ill-I9, the positioning of the apertures 26 and the diameter of the wheels being such as to cause the peripheral edges of the wheels to extend to adjacent the narrower end portions of the strip I4. Thus in use, the Wheels are to an extent vertically stabilized between the surfaces of the mounts I9 and the shoulders 28 of the strip I4 and prevented from riding laterally to too great an extent.

It will thus be apparent that although simple to set up and assemble, my toy car truck may be securely engaged to the bottom of the toy car and in a transverse and longitudinally stabilized manner whereby the car may be supported on suitable wheels engaged to axles, the truck conversely forming a rigid support or journal means for the axles.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a toy vehicle of the class described, wheel support means comprising a vehicle bottom formed with a pair of spaced parallel longitudinally extending slots and an intermediate transversely extending slot, and a wheel truck comprising a pair of spaced axle supporting strips formed with tabs extending from their upper edges and into said longitudinally extending slots, an integral tie member extending between said strips adjacent their lower edges, and a stabilizer extending integrally from said tie member formed with a tab extending from its upper marginal edge into said transversely extending slot.

2. In a toy vehicle of the class described, wheel support means comprising a vehicle bottom formed with a pair of spaced parallel longitudinally extending slots and an intermediate transversely extending slot, and a wheel truck comprising a pair of spaced axle supporting strips formed with tabs extending from their upper edges and into said longitudinally extending slots, an integral tie member extending between said strips adjacent their lower edges, and a stabilizer extending integrally from said tie member and perpendicular to said axle support strips formed with a tab extending from its upper marginal edge into said transversely extending slot, said axle support strips and stabilizer comprising shoulder portions extending laterally from the base of said tabs in abutment with said vehicle bottom and said tabs being in deformed frictional and locking engagement with the defining ends of their respective apertures.

3. In a paperboard simulated railroad car and the like toy vehicle, wheel support means comprising a vehicle bottom formed with a group of wheel truck engagement slots adjacent an end thereof comprising a pair of spaced parallel longitudinally extending slots and an intermediate transversely extending slot, and a wheel truck comprising a pair of spaced parallel longitudinally extending axle mounting strips each formed with a tab extending from and intermediate its upper edge and into wedged engagement with the vehicle bottom through said longitudinally extending slots, an integral tie member extending between said strips adjacent their lower edges, and a transverse stabilizer member extending integrally from said tie member formed with a tab extending from intermediate its upper edge and into wedged engagement with the vehicle bottom through said transversely extending slot, each ci said wheel mounts being formed with a pair of aligned apertures adjacent its ends for reception of wheel supporting axles.

4. Wheel support and mounting means for paperboard structural toy vehicles in the form of a simulated car truck comprising a pair of spaced parallel vertically extending axle mounting strips formed with an aperture adjacent each end to provide axle journals, an integral tie member extending intermediate said axle mounts and joining their lower edges, an integral stabilizer member extending upwardly from and at an angle to said tie member, and engagement tabs extending from and positioned intermediate the upper edges of each of said wheel mounts and said stabilizer member.

5. Paperboard wheel support and mounting means in the form of a simulated car truck for structural railroad car and the like toy vehicles composed of a unitary blank comprising a pair of space-:l parallel wheel mount strips, a tie member strip extending perpendicularly between said wheel mounts and defined therefrom by score lines, a stabilizer strip extending laterally from and parallel to said tie member and defined therefrom by a score line, and engagement tongues extending laterally from and intermediate the outer longitudinal edges of each of said wheel mounts and said stabilizer strip.

SIDNEY GODELL. 

